Column: Heels' best efforts may not receive just reward

Associated Press North Carolina coach Larry Fedora celebrates the Tar Heels 43-35 victory over North Carolina State in their game on Saturday at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.

By Brett Friedlander

Published: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 11:13 PM.

Giovani Bernard didn't just win a football game for North Carolina on Saturday. With his heroic 74-yard punt return to beat N.C. State, on a play in which he waved a teammate off the field to put himself into the game, the sophomore running back immediately elevated himself to legendary status among Tar Heel faithful.

It's a distinction that's likely shared by anyone who witnessed the dramatic run, and the amazing individual performance that led up to it.

But that's the problem.

Because Bernard's team is located so far off the national radar, few – if anyone – outside the state of North Carolina noticed his performance.

If a top back representing an SEC school or any one of the other usual suspects in the upper half of the AP Top 25 had put such a dramatic exclamation point on an effort in which he amassed 304 all-purpose yards against an emotional rival, the Downtown Athletic Club would already be engraving his name on the Heisman Trophy.

Bernard, however, plays for a middle-of-the-pack ACC school better known for its basketball success. As such, he has as much chance of seriously contending for college football's most prestigious award as his team does of playing in a bowl this season.

Giovani Bernard didn't just win a football game for North Carolina on Saturday. With his heroic 74-yard punt return to beat N.C. State, on a play in which he waved a teammate off the field to put himself into the game, the sophomore running back immediately elevated himself to legendary status among Tar Heel faithful.

It's a distinction that's likely shared by anyone who witnessed the dramatic run, and the amazing individual performance that led up to it.

But that's the problem.

Because Bernard's team is located so far off the national radar, few – if anyone – outside the state of North Carolina noticed his performance.

If a top back representing an SEC school or any one of the other usual suspects in the upper half of the AP Top 25 had put such a dramatic exclamation point on an effort in which he amassed 304 all-purpose yards against an emotional rival, the Downtown Athletic Club would already be engraving his name on the Heisman Trophy.

Bernard, however, plays for a middle-of-the-pack ACC school better known for its basketball success. As such, he has as much chance of seriously contending for college football's most prestigious award as his team does of playing in a bowl this season.

None.

Case in point: He garnered only a single fifth-place vote in ESPN's most recent "experts poll" of Heisman candidates.

Although teammate Tre Boston excitedly referred to Bernard as the Tar Heels' "not-so-secret weapon anymore" in the afterglow of Saturday's game, the fact of the matter is that the undersized Florida native is still the nation's most overlooked star.

Bernard leads the ACC in rushing with 930 yards on only 126 carries. He ranks fourth nationally with 15 touchdowns, one more than he had all last year, and he's among the top 10 in the ACC in receptions with 4.5 per game. He also leads the nation in punt returns with an average of 20.5 yards per attempt.

As impressive as Bernard's statistics already are, imagine how much better they would be if he didn't miss 2½ games earlier this season with a knee injury. If not good enough for national recognition, they should at least be sufficient to make Bernard the runaway frontrunner for the ACC's Player of the Year award.

But that's not even the case. And it has nothing to do with his lack of national notoriety.

Rather, it's one of the unintended consequences of UNC's NCAA sanctions.

How much the stigma of his team's probation will have on Bernard among the voting members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association won't be known until the balloting begins in a few weeks.

But it's safe to say that the Tar Heels' inability to play for and win a conference championship could ultimately cost him votes to Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel or Clemson wide receiver DeAndre "Nuk" Hopkins – whose teams are still eligible for a title.

The same can be said for UNC coach Larry Fedora. Barring a strong finish by Duke and an unexpected collapse by his own team, he figures to be the next ACC Coach of the Year.

It would be a shame if either ends up being punished for the transgressions of others, especially those who were gone before one played his first game in Carolina blue and the other even arrived.

But if they are, they'll get over it.

For Fedora, laying the foundation for long-term success will be a much more meaningful reward than any trophy. As for Bernard, who needs the title of Player of the Year when you're already a legend?

ACC Insider Brett Friedlander can be reached at starnewsacc@gmail.com. For more on the ACC and East Carolina athletics, go to ACC.Blogs.StarNewsOnline.com.